Chocolate & Toasted Coconut Zucchini Muffins

In Finn’s earlier post this week, she talked about how food bloggers can occasionally go overboard when describing their recipes. I have to agree; the recipes I post are ones that I love – I wouldn’t post them if they weren’t delicious – but I try not to say “this is the best recipe ever” because, let’s face it, it probably isn’t. I’m no Julia Child! How could I possibly say something I make is the best thing ever?

But these… well. I’m at a loss for words with these. Are they the best zucchini muffins ever? I don’t know, I haven’t tried them all. BUT… holy CRAP are these ever good. They are heaven.

This is the kind of recipe that makes me all giddy inside and forces me to use emojis to convey my absolute excitement. ?❤️???????‼️

Turns out, I reeeeally love my veggies. I’m on a Super Veggie Kick right now, eating and drinking as much of the things as I can. I crave them now, so much so that just last night I had 1/2 a cucumber (and maybe some peanut butter) for dessert. Dessert! What is happening to me!

Now, the only reason I had cucumber for dessert was because I didn’t have any more of these muffins left. These muffins – a whole dozen – lasted about a day before disappearing. I ate three right out of the oven. You might think I’m joking, but I’m not. Three. Sorrynotsorry. Then Matt came home and had a couple. Then he took some to work the next day to share. Then I had some after work. Then they were gone. My point is: these are insanely delicious and I need to make another batch or two or five.

Zucchini muffins. Have you tried them yet? They really are worth all the hype. There’s something about baking with zucchini that makes magic happen. Since zucchini is so high in moisture (even after squeezing most of the water out!), the resulting muffins are healthy, incredibly moist, and filling enough to curb the 10am coffee-break munchies.

Did I mention they’re healthy? Just look at all that zucchini!

Some friends who tried these muffins called them cupcakes, but I have to disagree. For one, cupcakes have icing, these do not. Two, cupcakes aren’t packed with veggies, and these are. So, while they might seem decadent enough to call cupcakes, they are, in fact, muffins. At least that’s what I’m calling ’em.

Now just because these muffins are filled with zucchini does NOT mean they taste like squash. Quite the opposite! They taste like a decadent, chocolatey dessert, and you won’t even realize they’re packed with vegetables. You can’t even see the zucchini, because it soaks up all the chocolaty goodness and almost looks like more toasted coconut.

The toasted coconut gives the muffins a wonderful nutty undertone and adds just a little bit of texture to wow your taste buds. You could skip the toasting step, but I highly recommend it. Toasting coconut makes it taste a little less sweet and a little more nutty, and it’ll make your house smell amazing.

And as an added bonus, since we’re trying to be all healthy with these muffins (minus the chocolate, okay?) this recipe uses canola oil instead of butter. So you don’t have to feel guilty about eating three out of the oven. Right?

Chocolatey muffins that you won't believe are actually good for you! Shredded zucchini is hidden in the muffins, masked by the chocolate and coconut flavours. Eat your veggies without realizing it!

Ingredients

¾ cup shredded coconut, plus more for topping

1½ cups flour

½ cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup canola oil

1 zucchini, grated (about 2 cups worth), liquid squeezed out

½ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan; set aside.

Place ¾ cup of the shredded coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Stir every few minutes to avoid burning; set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugars, milk, vanilla, and canola oil.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Stir in the shredded zucchini, chocolate chips, and toasted coconut.

Scoop the batter into the muffin pan. Top the muffins with the more shredded coconut (untoasted) and bake for 24-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool and serve.

tomorrow i am making that killer soup finn shared (roasted tomato and caramelized onion). tomorrow i am also making these zucchini muffins (i am a freak for vegetables in cake-y things). tomorrow will be a salute my neighbors to the north day. so grateful ~